John Vanbrugh

[[Godfrey Kneller]]'s [[kit-cat portrait]], held in the [[National Portrait Gallery, London]] ([http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?Mkey=mw06470 NPG3231]) Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restoration comedies, ''The Relapse'' (1696) and ''The Provoked Wife'' (1697), which have become enduring stage favourites but originally occasioned much controversy. He was knighted in 1714.

Vanbrugh was in many senses a radical throughout his life. As a young man and a committed Whig, he was part of the scheme to overthrow James II and put William III on the throne. He was imprisoned by the French as a political prisoner. In his career as a playwright, he offended many sections of Restoration and 18th century society, not only by the sexual explicitness of his plays, but also by their messages in defence of women's rights in marriage. He was attacked on both counts, and was one of the prime targets of Jeremy Collier's ''Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage''.

In his architectural career, he created what came to be known as English Baroque. His architectural work was as bold and daring as his early political activism and marriage-themed plays, and jarred conservative opinions on the subject. Provided by Wikipedia
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1721
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1725
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1735
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1754
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1764
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1776
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1776
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1777
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by Vanbrugh, John, 1664-1726.
Published 1792
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Published 1794
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by Vanbrugh, John, 1664-1726.
Published 1795
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1808
Subjects: '; ...Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726 <<The>> provok'd wife (DE-588)7590829-3 gnd...
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by Hill, Aaron
Published 1817
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by Beaumont, Francis 1584-1616
Published 1817
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by Jonson, Ben 1572-1637
Published 1817
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by Kelly, Hugh
Published 1817
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Published 1840
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1893
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by Vanbrugh, John 1664-1726
Published 1893
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